2017 Conference Presentations

With a significant increase in international diversity, colleges and universities are looking for ways to expand their language-learning initiatives on campus. Southeastern Louisiana University’s “Real-World Ready” initiative promotes learning to at least one foreign language to increase our graduates success in the global workplace. This session describes how the Department of Languages and Communication along with Sims Memorial Library collaborated on reaching that goal through the acquisition of Mango Languages (language-learning software). Outreach and training initiatives as well as assessment to international students and ESL learners will also be discussed.
Presenter(s): Angela Dunnington (SLU)

This session will offer an overview of Holdings Management within EBSCOadmin, used for managing your collection in Full Text Finder, EBSCO’s state-of-the-art publication search service and link resolver. We will review adding and removing titles and packages, managing coverage, adding custom resources, Notes, and management of the link resolver Target links.
Presenter(s): Allyson Zellner (EBSCO)

This summer LOUIS members transitioned from the Literati research platform to an enhanced version of Credo Online Reference Service. This session will introduce members to the new user interface and present several features designed to help students orient to their topic faster, discover background information more efficiently, and explore related concepts and keywords without becoming overwhelmed. Credo Online Reference Service provides the same award-winning content and research tools LOUIS accessed with Literati for years, such as Topic Pages, Mind Maps, and a customizable homepage. Librarians will appreciate the opportunity to see the new platform’s tools and features in action, including LMS or VLE embeddable reference entries, Google Drive integration, and new filtering and permalinking capabilities.
Presenter(s): Lisa Hill (Credo Reference)

The Xavier University of Louisiana Library began a series of cultural and thematic library programs in 2015. These programs were presented in hopes of engaging students in the planning of the programs, collaborating with community members for their sponsorship and/or active participation in the programs, and entertaining the Xavier community. Addressing an identified Xavier community need, librarians hosted library talks, movie nights, short story book club meetings and wikipedia programs that brought students into the library.
Presenter(s): Nancy Hampton and Paula Singleton (Xavier)

The presenter will discuss the wiki format as a way to share information with your fellow librarians, SOWELA’s experience translating its library instruction manuals into a wiki format, and tips for creating a wiki for your own library environment.
Presenter(s): Darren MacLennan (SOWELA)

Engaging students in an academic library can be tough. Aside from workshops, lectures, and the occasional Open House, students continue to see the library as a place for serious work and study. However, just as we are the “go-to” for serious and stressful, we can also find room for the fun and relaxing. Programming can be a great way to show the libraries fun side while also providing students resources and activities that can make a serious library seem more like home and take the edge off exams. This presentation will discuss programming at LSU Libraries, which include the Relaxation Room and our “De-Stress Study Fest”, and how our attempts at programming can easily be replicated in other libraries for little to no extra cost.
Presenter(s): Randa Lopez Morgan (LSU)

Learn how SirsiDynix and EBSCO make important design decisions and go home with ideas you can use to create a better user experience for your patrons.
Presenter(s): Arthur Hayden (EBSCO) and Garr Ovard (SirsiDynix)

Data visualization can make the reporting of statistics more dynamic and digestible to a variety of stakeholders. This hands-on workshop, targeted at beginner and intermediate spreadsheet users, will enable participants to create data visualizations using public services and collections metrics for use in annual reports, internal assessments, and public displays. The workshop will focus on using Google Sheets to create charts and graphs, but instructions will also be provided for using Microsoft Excel, and other visualization tools be briefly discussed. Participants should bring a laptop or tablet.
Presenter(s): Elizabeth Kelly (Loyola)

The flood of August 2016 affected many people in Southern Louisiana. Shortly after the flood, Dupre Library received an urgent request to accept a donation of approximately 7000 books and other materials from a house affected by the flood. This presentation discusses how the massive donation was organized and processed, affecting many employees and users of the library. The presentation will also review how academic libraries currently handle large donations.
Presenter(s): Andrea Flockton, Sheryl Curry (ULL)

The presenter will make the case that video games constitute an art form and support the curriculum, and therefore are worthy of inclusion in academic library collections.
Presenter(s): Janelle Zetty (ULL)